(with photos) BERLIN, Oct 22 (KUNA) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday it was impossible to imagine the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) without nuclear weapons.
But she said, in a joint news conference with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the Federal Chancellery here, that the alliance will remain a defensive one.
Rasmussen started a visit to Germany earlier today for talks Merkel and Minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle ahead of the NATO Summit, due in Lisbon, capital of Portugal, on November 19-20 and the NATO-Russia Council Summit in the same venue on November 20.
"The Lisbon summit will focus on the new strategic concept of the alliance, " Merkel said.
"Though the NATO sticks to nuclear weapons, the upcoming summit will explore new means of military deterrence to ensure the security and stability of the western defense alliance," she pointed out.
As long as there are nuclear weapons in the world, the NATO has to keep defensive capabilities. Only when the world is entirely denuclearized, the alliance can take steps in this direction, Merkel explained.
Dealing with the NATO-Russia Council Summit, she said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev would take part in the event.
She expressed relief over Russia's openness about the NATO plans to deploy the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) in eastern European countries.
On his part, Rasmussen said the Lisbon summit would discuss several issues including the war against terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan and the possibility of handing over more security responsibilities to the Afghan authorities.
The NATO mission in Afghanistan will prioritize the capacity building of the Afghan military and security services, he noted.
During his talks with the NATO chief, Westerwelle asked for closer cooperation between the alliance and Russia in such areas as the combat against international terrorism and piracy.
On Thursday Germany announced plans to deploy extra 650 soldiers in Afghanistan to back up its 4,500-strong contingent in the northern restive region of Kunduz. (end) sh.gb KUNA 221952 Oct 10NNNN